Sunshine Foods, Affiliated Foods Midwest Merge IT Talents

Sunshine Foods and Affiliated Foods Midwest win SN's 2012 Technology Excellence Award in the Independent and Wholesaler categories
“AFM truly understands the importance of independents using technology to not only compete against the big boys, but also to connect with our customers — new and old."
— Brent Bosch, general manager and co-owner of Sunshine Foods

BRANDON, S.D. — In this slow-paced part of the Midwest, near the intersection of South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, most customers still get their grocery ads via the newspaper, TV and radio.

Even so, Brent Bosch, general manager and co-owner of Sunshine Foods, a 12-store family-owned retailer here, felt change in the wind. Over the past few years, he noticed his stores were losing touch with their No. 1 target audience — time-pressed, working moms age 25 to